In the first sanctioned bareknuckle boxing match since 1889, Bobby “The Celtic Warrior” Gunn defeated boxer Rich Stewart via KO in round 3. With the win Gunn claimed the vacant bareknuckle boxing title that was last held by John L. Sullivan.

“It’s mean a great deal to me to have won the way I did,” said Gunn. “Early on I was able to go out there and establish my pace to the fight, and executed the way I planned.”

Leading up to this fight Gunn was adamant about bringing back bareknuckle boxing on a competitive level. Many critics claimed the sport was barbaric and questioned the safety of the fighters.

“A big misconception was that the fight was going to be a street fight or bar fight,” said Gunn. “That couldn’t be farther from the truth. Fighters only have a 3 ½” gap to strike, from the eyes to the nose, around the side of the temple. When you throw a shot to the jaw you have to be careful to hit the side of the jaw. The teeth can split your hands wide open, and if you hit too high above the eyebrows you can shatter your hand on the forehand. Bareknuckle boxing is not about wasting shots throwing wild punches; it’s about precise, accurate shots that are effective.”

Gunn displayed the sweet science as he carefully moved around the ring through the first and second rounds, keeping Stewart at bay and avoiding getting hit.

In the third round Gunn launched a devastating assault on Stewart’s body, followed up with a crisp left hook to the jaw, brining Stewart to the canvas. Upon getting up, Stewart was grazed with a right cross on the top of his head, dropping him again. The referee called the fight in the best interest of Stewart’s health.

“Waking up the next day my hands were a bit sore, but that was the extent of the damage,” said Gunn. “Neither of us fighters suffered any real damage, due to the safety precautions that were put into place.”

Making history with the first bareknuckle boxing match since 1889, Gunn is confident that the sport will take off.

“The public enjoys watching fights because they want to see two professionals who know what they’re doing stand there and throw hands,” said Gunn. “I believe that following this first match the sport is going to take off and become huge.”

And the numbers don’t lie. Over 800,000 tuned in to Ustream.tv to watch the bout.

“I am hoping we can line up a big name for our next fight,” said Gunn. “I will fight anybody they put in front of me, and I promise we’ll put on a show for the fans.”

“Lastly, I want to thank everybody on my team for all their support, and a very special thanks to McDuffy’s Sports Grill in Chandler, Arizona, for sponsoring the fight and being a part of bareknuckle boxing history.